Nicholas millee



(No Model!) N. MILLER. 7 Press for Extracting Water from Starch. No.235,001. Patented Nov. 30, 1880.

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NFETERS, FHOTOJ-ITHDGRAPNER, WASEINGTON, D C.

UNITE STATES ATENT Erica.

NICHOLAS MILLER, OF EDINBURG, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY W. SOHOLLER, OFSAME PLACE.

PRESS FOR EXTRACTING WATERFROM STARCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 235,001, dated November30, 1880, Application filed October 26, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS MILLER, of the town of Edin burg, county ofJohnson, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Presses for Extracting Water from Starch or other WetSub- I stance, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of mysaid invention is to improve the construction andincrease the efficiency of the press shown and. described in the patentto Henry W. Scholler, No. 204,918, dated June 18, 1878.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof,Figure l is a front elevation of two presses embodying my improvementsof construction, and having, in connection therewith, such anarrangement of shafts, pulleys, and belts as is adapted to cause the twopresses to work reciprocally. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section ofone of said presses looking to the left from the dotted line 10 w inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the belt and pulleys as seen fromthe dotted line x m. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section looking downwardlyfrom the dotted line y 11 and Fig. 5 is a similar view lookingdownwardly from the dotted line 2 a.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the side posts of thepress B, the bridge-tree; (J, the screw; 1), a cross-bar through whichthe screw runs; E a crosshead, carried by the screw O and traveling inthe slides a a on the posts A, which, by means of the followers 0 e,operates to compress the wet substance; F, a perforated and partitionedbox in which the wet substance is placed to be pressed; G, clampssecured to the posts A, which are for the purpose of preventing theboxes from bursting when in use, one or both of which are hinged as at9, so that it or they caube swung back, and thus leave the boxes readilyaccessible; H, a rod hinged to one of the clamps and adapted to becomeengaged with the other by means of an eccentrioallyfaced lever I, thelever aforesaid, which is hinged to the rod H, and which operates, whenbrought into the position shown in Fig. 4, to hold said clamps tightlyagainst the sides of the boxes F; J, gear-wheels mounted upon the screw0 and supported by suitable bearings in the cross-beams A; K, pinionsengaging with the wheels J; L, shafts upon which the pinions K aremounted; M, pulleys, also upon the shaftsL; N, aline-shaft; O, pulleysupon said line-shaft; P, belts connecting the pulleys M and O; Q,tightening-pulleys mounted in appropriate swinging frames, by means ofwhich the belts P are caused to operate; It, a weighted lever connected,by appropriate means, to the cross-head E, and which operates over afulcrum, 1", which may or may not be in the form of an anti-frictiontruck, as shown, to keep said cross-head always in contact with the endof the screw 0, and R the weight upon said lever.

The advantage of using the eceentricallyfaced lever 1 instead of thehand-nut shown in the Letters Patent referred to is thatit is moreconvenient and more efficient.

The use of the fulcrunied and weigh ted lever B is, as before stated, tokeep the cross-head always in contact with the lower end of the screw. Ihave found this, in practice, much superior to the method heretofore inuse, of drawing the cross-head up by means of a shoulder cut in thescrew, and a cap to fit over said shoulder, as it causes lessfrictionand less wear, and is consequently less liable to get out of order.

The arrangement of pulleys and shaft shown, besides changing the pressesfrom hand to power machines, secures a further very useful andeconomical result, viz: When the belt nearest either press, as shown inthe drawings, is actuated, the screw of that press is driven down, whichoperates the plungers on the cross-head thereof to express the waterfrom the starch in the boxes which have been inserted in said press. Aswill be readily un derstood, on examination of the drawings, by any oneskilled in such machinery, the screw of the other press is at the sametime driven in the reverse direction, and the cross-head thereof liftedor allowed to be raised up free from the boxes in said other press.

The operation of the presses is, therefore, as follows: Boxes containingthe wet starch properly prepared for pressing are inserted in one of thepresses, in which at the time the cross-head E is in raised position.The

tightener Q is then applied to the belt near said press, and the screwis thus driven down and the water expressed from the starch in saidboxes. The operator then steps to the other press, which has been raisedby this operation, and inserts boxes containing wet starch therein, and,by means of the tightener and belt belonging to it, operates it in asimilar manner. He then returns to the first press, removes the boxescontaining the starch already pressed, inserts fresh boxes, and repeatsthe previously-described operation. By using two or more presses in thismanner the operator is enabled to do a materially greater amount of workthan with a single press, as the time which would otherwise be requiredto operate the press is almost or wholly saved.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of two or more presses connected by shafts and gears,arranged, as described, in such manner that when the screw of one isdriven downwardly the other shall, by the same opcration,be raised orallowed to rise, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in two presses, of th screws 0 O, the wheels J J,the shafts L L, and the pinions K K K, all arranged andoperatingsubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a press, with the cross-head or follower thereof,of a lever which operates to hold said follower at all times against theend of the screw by which it is driven, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

4. The combination, in a press, of the box F, the clamps Gr G,the rod H,and the camfaced lever I, when all constructed, arranged, and operatingsubstantially as shown and de scribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 13th day of October, A. D. 1880.

NICHOLAS MILLER.

In presence of U. BRADFORD, H. W. SOHOLLER.

